How Premium Sake Is Made

As a pioneer of the high-end sake market, Dassai is known among fans for its clean and floral taste, resulting from a costly technique that differentiates it from cheaper, rough tasting versions. Now the brewer is eyeing an outpost in New York that will apply the same brewing methods used in Japan. Bloomberg's Kurumi Mori reports from Yamaguchi.

Kazuhiro Sakurai admits his project of building a brewery in New York for Dassai, arguably Japan’s most famous sake brand, wasn’t the best timed or most meticulously planned. But even after running nearly three years behind schedule due to COVID and costing six or seven times more than an initial $7 million budget, he says the new venture is worth it.

The fourth-generation chief of Asahi Shuzo Co., the brewery behind Dassai, sees the brand increasingly reliant on overseas sales for growth as a long-running pandemic adds to a decline in Japanese sake consumption. Last year, shipments outside Japan overtook domestic sales for the first time in its 74-year history. He said a New York outpost, now expected to be completed this December, will be crucial to market the brand to a global clientele which he expects will eventually account for 90% of the company’s business.

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